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Shabbat is the Hebrew term for the Sabbath.

In accord with the Ten Commandments, a part of the Torah, Jewish people celebrate a Shabbat, a day of rest on the seventh day of the week. Jewish law defines one day ending at nightfall, which is when the next day then begins. Thus, Shabbat begins at sundown Friday night, and ends at nightfall Saturday night. The added time between sunset and nightfall on Saturday night owes to the ambiguous nature of that part of the day according to Halakha.

While the Sabbath is not considered a holiday as such by some other cultures and religions, Jewish law accords Shabbat the status of a holiday. In many ways, halakha (Jewish law) gives Shabbat the status of being the most imporant holy day in the Jewish calendar.

• It is the first holiday mentioned in the Bible, and God was the first one to observe it.
• The liturgy treats the Sabbath as a bride and queen.
• The Torah reading for the Sabbath has more parshiot (Torah readings) than Yom Kippor, the most of any Jewish holiday.
• There is a tradition that the Messiah will come if every Jew observes the Sabbath twice in a row.
• The Biblical penalty for violating Shabbat is greater than that for violating any other holiday.

The Tanach (Hebrew Bible) and the Siddur (Jewish prayer book) describe Shabbat as having two purposes: It is a commemoration of the Israelites' redemption from slavery in Egypt, and also is a commemoration of God's creations of the Universe; on the seventh day God rested from his work.

Jewish law strictly prohibits Jewish people from doing any form of melachah (work) on Shabbat. Melacha does not closely correspond to the English definition of the term work, nor does it correspond to the physics definition of the term. Rather, it refers to the 39 categories of activity that the Talmud prohibits Jews from engaging in on their Sabbath. Many religious scholars have pointed out that all these labors have something in common - they prohibit any activity that is creative, or that exercises control or dominion over one's environment.

The 39 activities prohibited by Jewish law on Shabbat are as follows: Sowing, Plowing, Reaping, Binding sheaves, Threshing, Winnowing, Selecting, Grinding, Sifting, Kneading, Baking, Shearing wool, Washing wool, Beating wool, Dyeing wool, Spinning, Weaving , Making two loops, Weaving two threads, Separating two threads, Tying, Untying, Sewing stitches, Tearing, Trapping, Slaughtering, Flaying, Salting meat, Curing hide, Scraping hide, Cutting hide up, Writing two or more letters, Erasing two or more letters, Building, Tearing something down, Extinguishing a fire, Kindling a fire, Hitting an object with a hammer, and taking an object from the private domain to the public, or transporting an object in the public domain.

These restrictions are not always as clear-cut as they may seem, and there are numerous interpretations concerning what constitutes, for instance, tying a knot.

In the event that a human life is in danger, any of the above laws must be broken if doing so is necessary to save that life. For example, it is not only permissible but mandatory to make a fire (or to turn up the thermostat) in order to aid a person afflicted with hypothermia.

Shabbat is traditionally marked as a day of celebration as well as one of prayer. Three festive meals are eaten each Shabbat: one on Friday night, one Saturday afternoon, and one early Saturday evening before the conclusion of the Sabbath. With the exception of Yom Kippur, days of public fasting are held off for a day if they coincide with Shabbat, and mourners sitting Shivah conduct themselves normally for the duration of the day.

Also see: Jewish holidays, Judaism, Sabbath

Link: Frequently Asked Questions about Shabbat

Link: Information on Shabbat from the Union of Orthodox Congregations

Link: Discussion of Shabbat Torah readings

Reccomended reading:

The Sabbath Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: A Guide to Its Understandings and Observance Dayan Isadore Grunfeld, Philipp Feldheim Inc.

A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice Isaac Klein, Ktav, 1992

The Artscroll Siddur Ed. Nosson Scherman, Mesorah Publications

The Encyclopaedia Judaica, entry on "Shabbat", Keter Publishing House Ltd

Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals Ed. Leonard S. Cahan, The Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Siddur Sim Shalom Ed. Jules Harlow, The Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism